It seems like no critique of Michael Mann‘s Public Enemies would be complete without discussing the high definition digital cinematography. It seems to really annoy some people (there was a long discussion on this week’s /Filmcast about this) while others believe that the technology adds to the realism of the moment.

On this week’s episode of The Totally Rad Show, they reviewed Public Enemies, complete with a discussion of the digital look. Alex Albrecht explained that the digital look didn’t work for him (watch the clip after the jump) because the story didn’t make sense to be presented in this way. For example, a film like Collateral works much better with the digital look because the look of the story, and the setting of downtown Los Angeles works for the digital aesthetic.

So I’m wondering, movie and story aside (lets not talk about the movie, we already did that) — were you bothered by the High Definition look of Public Enemies? Why did you think it didn’t work for you? Could it be that we’re just use to the film look and that kids growing up today might think that the digital look looks more realistic? Or is it like Alex suggests, a look that shouldn’t be used for certain types of stories, like period films? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!Read More »

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It seems almost quaint today but the PG-13 rating was actually conceived in 1984 at the suggestion of Steven Spielberg: His Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was deemed just a tad too graphic/violent for kids, but not so bad as to warrant an R rating. Since then, the PG-13 branding, which indicates that “Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13,” has had a bit of a bumpy road.Read More »

On this week’s episode of the Totally Rad Show, Dan Trachtenberg started an interesting conversation comparing the new generation of Hollywood actors to those of yesteryear (you can watch a clip after the jump). It starts off nice an easy — The Rock is the new Arnold Schwarzenegger (he just got into the kiddie comedies a little bit earlier). The next generation’s Harrison Ford? Matt Damon. Makes perfect sense. They are both talented actors who also did fun action trilogies. But then Dan said Shia LaBeouf is this generation’s Bruce Willis… what? I would say that Shia is my generation’s Michael J Fox (no offense to Fox). (correction: apparently Dan wasn’t comparing Shia to Bruce, I just misunderstood)

How about Clint Eastwood? or Bill Murray? or Robert De Niro? Who is our generation’s Mark Hamil? My vote is for Keanu Reeves!

Discuss: I would love to hear some of your comparisons, complete with plausible explanations.

The /Film Question of the Week is a weekly question to the community that emerges from the /Filmcast: After Dark. Feel free to post your responses in the comments below. The best answers are read on the air during the show. This week during the show, we talked about some of our favorite movies that somehow feature Christmas, either explicitly (e.g. A Christmas Story) or that have Christmas in the background somehow (e.g. Go, or Die Hard)

This week’s question of the week is: What is your favorite Christmas-related movie? (Please write a few sentences to either explain why, or to tell a story that relates to it)

Tune in on Monday night at around 10:30 PM EST to Slashfilm’s live page, as we read the best answers on the air. You can subscribe to the /Filmcast by using the following links:

The Question of the Week is a (hopefully) weekly question for slashfilm.com readers that emerges from a discussion on the /Filmcast: After Dark. Feel free to post your answers to the question in the comments below. The best answers will be read on the air each week.

On this week’s After Dark episode, I discussed my hatred of a film critic who used a laptop throughout an entire movie screening. This week’s question is: Who is the most inconsiderate moviegoer you have ever encountered and why? (True stories only please)

Tune in on Monday night at around 10:30 PM EST to Slashfilm’s live page, as we read the best answers on the air. You can subscribe to the /Filmcast by using the following links:

The Question of the Week is a (hopefully) weekly question for slashfilm.com readers that emerges from a discussion on the /Filmcast: After Dark. Feel free to post your answers to the question in the comments below. The best answers will be read on the air each week. And this week, for our inaugural question, the best answer will win a free copy of Takashi Miike’s Sukiyaki Western Django in a steelbook case.

This week’s question is: What videogame would make for a good film adaptation? Name the videogame anddescribe its plot (in at least a paragraph).

To enter, do the following:

1) Register for an Intensdebate Account, /Film’s new commenting system. You can register below or do so by going to IntenseDebate. Make sure to use an e-mail address we can actually reach you at!

2) Sign in to your account and leave your answer below in the comments. Bonus points will be given for creative videogame choices (e.g. describing a kickass movie based on “Tetris” will give you better odds of winning than describing a movie based on “Bioshock”)

One last thing: This contest is only open to U.S. residents living in the contiguous United States. Sorry, international listeners! You are still welcome to leave your comments, and we will still read the best ones on the air, but we can’t send you the DVD.

Thanks for playing! Tune in on Monday to Slashfilm’s live page, as we read the best answers on the air and announce the winner. You can subscribe to the /Filmcast by using the following links: